Books – Detail

This crime fiction novel follows Detective Brock Justice and his partner, Detective Chloe Wright, as they investigate the mysterious death of a woman on a remote backcountry road in Maine.

The first of Nicola Griffith's beloved sapphic crime series, the novel that introduced the fierce and beguiling Aud Torvingen.

Detective Sergeant George Cross can be difficult to work with, but he doesn't miss a clue. So when the body of an elderly homeless man is discovered, he insists on scrutinizing the smallest details, even after his police colleagues dismiss the murder as an act of random violence. As Cross delves into the dead man's past, he discovers a connection to a case that has been cold for fifteen years. The same tragedy that led to his homelessness may have also led to his death.

The Athenaeum also has the second and third installments in the series: The Cyclist and The Patient.

Arthur Fletch, one of the world's bestselling novelists, is a reclusive genius known for his iconic protagonists and fiendish twists. When six struggling authors are invited to spend a weekend on his private Scottish island, they arrive to discover a shocking secret. Arthur Fletch is dead...and his last book is unfinished. Desperate to publish the novel, Fletch's agent and editor have summoned these writers in the hope that one of them will imagine a worthy ending for this final book.

In this locked-room mystery set in 1960, a washed-up actor puts his on-camera detective skills to the test when a suspicious death shatters the quiet peace for a group of strangers staying at an isolated Greek island resort.

This collection of interconnected crime stories presents a series of high-stakes events involving a range of characters, including a legendary casino robber, a college-bound teenager involved in illicit activities, law enforcement officers facing ethical dilemmas, and individuals entangled in organized crime.

In a gripping and hauntingly atmospheric novel set against the unforgiving landscape of the Arctic Circle, a disgraced police investigator discovers that his path to redemption is paved with ice-and blood.

A new novel about a search & rescue expert, a kidnapped woman, and the lost girls who haunt them both.

On a cold night in the remote Irish village of Arknakelty, a girl goes missing. Sweet, loving Rachel Holohan was about to be engaged to the son of the local big shot. Instead, she's dead in the river. In a close-knit small town, a death like this isn't simple. It comes wrapped in generations--old grudges and power struggles, and it splits the townland in two.

Cal Hooper Series

Actress Anna Vaughn is fearless--on screen, at least. She tends to play doomed brunettes with a badass streak, and has put in countless hours training for parts and learning how to fight, shoot, and drive like a pro. She likes to believe she is as tough as her characters, but off-camera she leads a far quieter life: trying to keep her acting career alive so she can take care of her younger sister. When her best friend Natalie, her rock, disappears after a night out with a mysterious new man, the signs point to foul play and a circle of spies operating in Manhattan. Anna must use all the tricks she's learned for her roles to hunt for her missing friend.

When one of her fares turns up dead in her backseat, a Sri Lankan American taxi driver works off the clock to clear her name in this mystery novel by debut author Yosha Gunasekera.

In August 1990, London is suffering through an unprecedented heatwave when baby Bella Carpenter is snatched through the open window of her hotel room. Detective Inspector Martha Allen is assigned the high-profile case and, knowing that it could make or break her career, is determined to find Bella. When a young woman named Nell Beatty walks into the police station with a baby who appears to be Bella, and whom Nell claims she found on a bench, it seems that the mystery is solved. Her family, the police, and the press are overjoyed at her return. But DI Allen isn't convinced, something about Nell's story doesn't ring true.

When the body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol, Cross is eager to throw himself into the case. The problem is, no one in the Bristol station has any leads. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic's past. How can Cross unpick a crime when they don't know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

Raymond Ambler, crime-fiction curator at New York City’s prestigious 42nd Street Library, doesn’t consider it a big deal when he misses a call from visiting professor Robin Cartwright . . . until she turns up dead in a hotel room. Who killed the quiet academic, and why?

First in the series: Murder at the 42nd Street Library

A page-turning suspense debut that tells the story of a woman who rose to fame after escaping a cult as a teenager, but whose future is threatened when dangerous secrets come back to haunt her.

A ransacked room. A dead politician. A burglary gone wrong--or a staged murder? DS George Cross loves puzzles--he's good at them--and he immediately spots one when he begins investigating the death of former mayor Peggy Frampton. To most, the crime scene looks like a burglary that went horribly wrong. But George can see what others can't: This was murder.

California, Southern Humboldt County, 1985. Renata Drake steps off a Greyhound bus and into small-town Garberville, hoping to disappear. She checks the papers. She's not headline news. Not yet. But she's made a mistake. The FBI have the cannabis-producing "Emerald Triangle" town-- and its corrupt residents--in their sights. Even worse, a teenage girl is missing, and when she turns up dead, the third in three years, it's clear a serial killer is living among them.

When Jessica Holby, darling of UK morning TV, dies live on screen in front of millions of viewers, the nation is devastated. More devastated still when it becomes clear that her death was not an accident. The evidence points to one culprit: celebrity chef Sebastian Brooks. But junior barrister Adam Green is about to discover that the case is not as open-and-shut as it first seemed.

Horace Manning, scientist, recluse, and "closed book" even to his friends, is found dead in his study at 4 a.m., following a dinner in honour of his daughter's engagement. An ivory-handled carving knife rests between his shoulder blades as the houseguests gather round to witness the awful crime. The telephone line has been sabotaged--a calculated murder has been committed.

British Library Crime Classics series

A coffin is dug up by builders in the grounds of an historic convent - inside is the body of a young nun. In a city as old as London, the discovery is hardly surprising. But when scratch marks are found on the inside of the coffin lid, Detective Jane Tennison believes she has unearthed a mystery far darker than any she's investigated before.

The Athenaeum Mystery Book Group will be discussing this title in May 2026.